Why Does Your Kitchen Sink Smell?

4/21/2017 (Permalink)

That bad smell isn't garbage - it's your sink!

Since your kitchen is probably the main hub of your home, you want it to be clean and smell as fresh as possible. If your sink is putting off a rank smell, there is cause for concern. A smelly kitchen sink may indicate an overload of bacteria. Some of these bacteria may make your family sick from breathing it.

If you live in the Nashville area, SERVPRO of Belle Meade may be the answer to cleaning and refreshing your kitchen sink pipes. Here are some of the main reasons your sink may be grossing out your family:

Bacteria from Food

Some of the offending smells in your sink may be from bacteria that have made a home in the drain pipes. These minuscule invaders get everything they need to live in your kitchen: water, bits of food, and warmth from the stove. The more they thrive, the worse smell you will encounter.

You do not have to be held hostage by these putrid pests. By pouring ½ cup baking soda and 1 cup white vinegar down the drain, it will set off a chemical reaction that will kill the yucky bacteria. All you have to do is rinse the sink and drain with hot water after the treatment. There are also commercial disinfectants on the market for cleaning sink pipes. If these do not work, you may need a professional drain cleaning company.

Garbage Disposal Fallout

One of the handiest contraptions in the kitchen is your garbage disposal. It grinds food waste down to tiny particles that will easily pass through the sewer system. Garbage disposals can put off foul smells when these particles build up and decay on the disposal blades. This can also be the consequences of putting fatty meats and stringy veggies down the machine. A quick fix for a ripe garbage disposal is to grind a few lemon or orange peels down it. The citric acid will naturally cut the clogged up grease and will kill smelly bacteria.

Stopped Up Kitchen Vent

If you have cleaned and refreshed your sink and garbage disposal and still detect a foul stench, you might have a clogged vent. You may not realize that there is a vent that leads from your sink pipes to the roof for ventilation. Sometimes, bacteria and other debris can clog the vent from the outside. A professional drain cleaning company can use a snake brush to clear the debris and get rid of the offending smells.

When your kitchen is free from odors, it will be a joy to cook in again. Just take some precautions and give your garbage disposal, pipes, and vent a good cleaning periodically. Your whole family will thank you!